COMMON ERRORS IN APA CITATIONS
- Incorrect headers:
- Go to OWL to find out more about APA headings requirements.
- Errors result from using Citation generators:
- Always double-check for errors when exporting.
- Not including the right number of Authors:
- Twenty or fewer authors, you MUST include all author names. If more than twenty authors, you must include the first 19 author names, insert an ellipsis, and add the last author's name.
- In-text citations:
- Mistakes in this category include: incorrect use of ‘et al.’, spelling inconsistencies, incorrect use of commas and ampersands, as well as wrong order of multiple citations in a single parenthesis.
- Items in a List:
- Items use numbered lists unless the numbers give an unintentional message of a hierarchy. In that case, the items can be bulleted.
- Referencing Volume and Issue Numbers: When referencing a journal, the volume number is italicized, directly followed by the issue number in parentheses (if there is an issue number provided). There is no space between the italicized volume and issue numbers.
